©Chanel
Dear Shaded Viewers,
Witnessing Matthieu Blazy’s meteoric rise at Chanel last night felt like the culmination of a journey that began almost two decades ago. I first encountered Blazy at La Cambre in Brussels, after his 2007 graduate collection—a debut so deft and poignant it left me completely impressed. I congratulated him then, and still remember our brief conversation: he was visibly anxious about the uncertainty that follows graduation, unsure how the industry would receive him. I told him there was nothing to worry about—his talent was unmistakable—and that feeling has only intensified as I’ve watched his career unfold.
Years later, when Blazy debuted at Bottega Veneta, I messaged him my admiration via Instagram. To my surprise, he replied, reminding me how I’d reassured him that day in Brussels, confiding that he’d held onto those words—especially after Raf Simons immediately offered him a job the very next day. Witnessing Raf in the audience at Chanel last night, along with Pieter Mulier, now designer at Azzedine and another Raf alumnus, was moving; both looked on, proud of Blazy’s achievements and his indelible mark on the industry.
At Chanel, Blazy has proven he’s more than just a technically brilliant designer—he’s a visionary who absorbs and transforms codes without ever lapsing into nostalgia. This latest collection drew from a deep reading of Coco Chanel’s legacy: the modernity came from an understanding, not defiance, of history itself. The planetary set was transcendent—an astral theatre that set the tone for garments alive with movement and invention.
Blazy’s artistry with feathers reached new heights, swirling around models like fragments of Stardust, at once ephemeral and precise. The starting point—the white shirt, in collaboration with Charvet—became the axis around which the collection gracefully revolved, reimagined in subtle but radical ways. His command of material, tailoring, and conceptual nuance stood out; these are not the gestures of a designer defined by draping, but one who refines, reconstructs, and elevates every piece to a new realm.
Tim Blanks’ BOF profile shed light on Blazy’s mindset before the show. In person, the magic was palpable: this was a Chanel collection for the future, yet rooted in the most human tradition—legacy, trust, and the hope that the right words at the right moment can endure well beyond the runway.
This spectacular showing affirmed what I sensed at La Cambre so many years ago. The universe Blazy conjured last night was as poetic as it was planetary—an ascendance witnessed by mentors, peers, and those like myself who believed in his promise from the very start.
Later,
Diane
